


Coping (We all have our own ways)

by imaginaryinspiration



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Depression, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 20:20:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15589959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginaryinspiration/pseuds/imaginaryinspiration
Summary: Frisk is stuck in another bad day but this time, it doesn't have to be scary.





	Coping (We all have our own ways)

Bad day.

 

It's another bad day. You've had them before, but that doesn't make it any less bad. It just makes you feel sad. You feel heavy, gray, tired, done. You feel like staring at the ceiling for hours and never doing anything else in your life. It's peaceful here in your bed, not doing anything, feeling like you want to give up and just _die already._

 

“Frisk? Hey, you okay?”

 

You would say you’re fine even though you’re not but you don’t really feel like talking so you don’t.

 

“Yeah, that was a stupid question. Do you want mom?”

 

You do, you really do, but you really don’t want to bother her. You don’t want to be a burden. You shake your head.

 

Chara raises an eyebrow. You don’t know how, but they seem to read your mind, and they sit next to you without getting Mom.

 

“Do you need anything? Water, food? Is it too cold?”

 

You shake your head no to everything.

 

“I’m going to get you some tea. I think you need it.”

 

Chara leaves you for a second. You really want your whole family here, Mom’s fluffiness and warmth and love and Sans’ jokes and Papyrus’ unconditional (and very loud) support, but instead you just pull the blanket tighter around yourself and wait for Chara to come back.

 

They return a few moments later with your favorite kind of tea, a slice of pie, and a weighted blanket.

 

“I think you need these, even if you don’t want to ask for them.”

 

You’re so very grateful but you don’t know how to say it without any effort so you just settle for a weak and watery smile. Chara grins right back, but theirs is much less forced and much bigger.

 

“I want to help you however I can Frisk, okay? It’s important that you let me know when you need something, can you do that? You don’t have to talk right now, but maybe we can try again later.”

 

Mom lets you stay home from school which you’re really glad about because you don’t think you have the energy to get out of bed, let alone get ready for school and try to interact with other people and pretend like you’re okay when you’re really not and you just want to sleep or die or disappear or something.

 

Thankfully, all you have to focus on now is eating the waffle Chara's placed in front of you after they spent about a half an hour urging you to get out of bed to eat something. They’ve soaked it in syrup and whipped cream and what must have been the whole box of strawberries.

 

You bite in and it’s so good and it feels better but you still don’t feel good and you’re trying you’re trying but it’s not working and you still want to lay on the floor and not ever do anything again.

 

A couple of hours later, after you’ve tried to sleep some more (but failed), Chara came up to you.

 

“Hey, Frisk, I was looking for things that might make you feel better and I found this music box. Do you want to listen?”

 

You’ve never really heard a music box before, maybe once(?). You never really had the chance to before you fell, and you’ve never asked for one after. You nod uncertainly. Chara winds it up and then lets it go. The melody is soft and sweet and comforting and you suddenly burst into tears.

 

“Whoa, whoa, wait Frisk, I’m sorry! Do you want me to take it away?”

 

You shake your head. The music box, it’s so nice to listen to. It’s comforting and soothing on your ears, it’s not like the grating noises you can’t stand like garbage trucks and fireworks and sounds that are loud and make you hurt and cry. It’s soft, it’s safe, it’s love, and it feels like a musical hug. It makes you want to cry even though you can finally feel some sort of faint warm happiness right now listening to this.

 

It seems to drain away all of that bad feeling and by the end of the tune it’s not completely gone it’s still there, but it’s bearable.

 

Chara looks at you with a softness in their eyes and they understand. Everyone has to cope with bad bays differently. You’ve never really had a way, you’ve always just toughed it through since there was no one there to comfort you before. Bad days have always been so scary to you, they make you feel terrible and you really have wanted to just disappear but you didn’t even have the energy to do that right.

 

But now bad days don’t have to be scary, you realize. Bad days come randomly, they don’t care how good your week or month has been, but that isn’t something you have to dread anymore. Bad days will never not be bad, but you don’t have to suffer alone. You have a wonderful family that loves you very much, you can see as Chara looks at you with love in their heart and tears in their eyes. Your family will comfort and support you unconditionally, and that won’t ever change.

 

You jump into Chara and hug them as hard as you can. You cry more and then they cry but now it’s not a numb cry or a sad cry, it’s a happy cry, tears of relief soaking your shirts.

 

You realize that even though life isn’t perfect, that’s okay.


End file.
